SEU’s “Most Beautiful 200 Meters” Reach Peak Viewing

(SEU News Network, November 26^th, Correspondent: Tang Tang, Photographer: Hang Tian) As a beautiful culturalsymbol, SEU Sipailou Campus frequently gains attention for its splendid scenic views. The parasol trees planted on this campus are renowned as the “Most Cultural Parasol Trees of Its Kind” and the central avenue, where over 200 academicians have walked, is acclaimed as the “Most Cultural Avenue”. In late November when the falling leaves create a colorful scene, the famous “Most Beautiful 200 Meters” of the central avenue usher in its best viewing period.

On November 25^th, the campus looked extraordinarily beautiful. The Central Avenue was paved with leaves fallen from the parasol trees, resembling a thick golden carpet. Teachers and students walked on this “carpet”, acclaiming it “so beautiful” from now and then. Below the Zhongshan Building, young ladies dressed in colorful dance costumes danced and captured the graceful movements of late autumn through their lenses; people sat in groups on the lawn in front of the Zhongda Building, engaging in lively conversations; in front of the Grand Auditorium, people tiptoed and raised their phones, capturing the most beautiful moments on campus… Undergraduate student Yang Yuxin said, “As a falling leaf heralds the autumn, the parasol trees always serve as the eternal messenger of autumn. I realize that autumn at SEU is as splendid as ever at the moment when the fallen leaves fully pave the Central Avenue. It comes to me with a golden glow.” Graduate student Zhang Yiqiao expressed, “This is my second-year walking on Central Avenue covered with parasol tree leaves, fulfilling my appointment with the season of parasol trees. The towering parasol trees have witnessed the profound history of SEU. They represent the unique romance of SEU and a collective nostalgia for all SEUers!”

In front of the Fountain, representatives of the traditional woodblock printing craft, Li Jiangmin and Li Huajun from Yangzhou, gave SEU students a special cultural practice and aesthetic education class. Together, they engaged in a cross-millennial dialogue with the traditional craft of woodblock printing on a sunny autumn day. Li Jiangmin printed a copy of the SEU school song for each student on the spot, while Li Huajun taught everyone to print on leaves. Undergraduate student Sun Mingyang said, “When sixty or seventy copies of the school song were printed in a short time, achieving a unity of skill and artistry, we truly experienced the value of woodblock printing. A sense of pride as Chinese people spontaneously arose. When we printed landmarks of SEU, such as the Grand Auditorium and Li Wenzheng Library, on canvas bags, the pride of being SEU students burst forth!”

On the afternoon of November 25^th, the “Strolling with the Parasol Trees” themed leaf fashion show and a small-scale garden party, hosted by the Graduate Student Union of SEU, took place on the Central Avenue. Students expressed their sincere love for the autumn campus and their best wishes for autumn life through songs, dances, Han-style clothing fashion shows, and other performances.